He has a good job working as a railroad man, but Andrea Marcocci is not happy.
An obscure disease haunts him. His daughter Giulia leaves her husband, seeking
shelter in the arms of another man, who does not love her. Andrea’s
good–for-nothing son storms out after one argument too many with his father.
Unable to face these troubles alone, Andrea starts to drink. Inevitably, the
booze interferes with his work and he causes a serious rail accident.
Desperately trying to hold onto his job, he goes to work on a strike day,
further alienating himself from his friends and colleagues.

Severely attacked by the leftist Italian critics of its time, THE RAILROAD MAN
is a heartfelt cry against many of the problems that plagued Italian society
during the mid-50’s. And, it is an undisputed masterpiece of its director and
star Pietro Germi (DIVORCE - ITALIAN STYLE,
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED). Written by Germi (who gives a passionate performance as Andrea) and Luciano Vincenzoni
(FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, A FISTFUL OF
DYNAMITE), the film also features a magnificent score by maestro Carlo Rustichelli (KILL, BABY… KILL!). The extraordinary ensemble cast includes
Sylva Koscina, (JULIET OF THE SPIRITS,
LISA AND THE DEVIL) as Giulia plus Saro
Urzi (THE GODFATHER’s Vitelli); Carlo Giuffré (Geppetto in Roberto Benigni’s
PINOCCHIO); Edoardo Nevola (A MAN OF STRAW) and Franco Fantasia (one of
Italy’s premier character actors). Digitally remastered from the original
vault negative, for the first time ever uncut on DVD in America, THE RAILROAD
MAN is a masterpiece of late Italian neo-realism and cannot be missed.

Another very
fine, but non-progressive, DVD image from NoShame. The package consists of 2
dual-layered DVDs - one with the feature and a second with 2 featurette
extras, of which the 'Pietro
Germi, a Classic on It's Own' 83 minute film is a perfect addition.
There is another booklet included which seems to be a main-stay of
NoShame but, although quite a good liner notes addition, at only 8 pages
it is no where near the size of the booklets in their DVD editions of Boccaccio 70' and Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
Overall this is a great package and the image appears to have no
manipulations and looks clear with strong contrast. the only drawback is
the 'combing' which will not be noticeable on tube viewing. I had never
seen the film before and was extremely impressed. I consider this a
great find and we strongly recommend!